Changing Tracks
by Handful of Silence
Summary: 10 Sulu/Chekov-centric drabbles based around song lyrics. Varying themes, slash.


_Author Note: This is in response to a fic I found on the Chekov_Sulu livejournal page, written by _**_darthkit. _**_I loved the idea of drabbles with songs, and _**_darthkit _**_was kind enough to also post some rules along with their story for others to follow: _

"_1. Put on your music program on shuffle/random and start playing songs.  
2. For each song, write something inspired by the song. You only have the song length. No pre-planning and no writing after the song is over. No skipping songs either.  
3. Do 10 songs and post. Make sure to include the song name/artist"_

_So this is my attempt- although I think _**_darthkit_**_'s original is a lot better. Enjoy anyway, and Merry Christmas! :-)_

_And yes, this is the sort of music on my iPod. I have no shame :-)_

**Changing Tracks**

**Love Don't Roam -Neil Hannon**

Sulu has seen many places during his time upon the Enterprise. Planets made of silver and trees made of gold, a plethora of new life teeming in forests and oceans on strange new worlds. But at some point, he knows it's time to give up his travelling shoes and settle down with the man he loves, to raise a family in a safety he'd couldn't have guaranteed aboard the Enterprise. And even though he sometimes looks up at the stars and feels a longing in his chest, he knows that he'd pay any price to spend his life with Chekov.

**Never Too Late- Three Days Grace**

Chekov would give up anything for Sulu, would help him through anything he could, but it was always going to be hard through the rough patches. Depression was uncommon but not unheard of in the 23rd Century and the Russian sat and stayed with his partner as the helmsman yelled and shouted at him, Chekov crying silent tears as he listened to Sulu promising to end it all because he had nothing to live for. Despite this, he stayed, and was always the one to tell Sulu everything was going to be ok, that they'd get though it, even though he could barely believe it himself.

**I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas**

The air was full of music and laughter as they walked out onto the street. Sulu watched Chekov's face light up in a smile as he heard a faint tune he recognised from a nearby club, dancing to the music with a manic grin as he dragged Sulu into a drunken version of a waltz. They had no cares, no worries, and it felt so liberating as they danced with each other, oblivious to the world as they fell further down into the rabbit hole of their own little fantasy, away from the Enterprise and the worry, the expectations and restrictions. Just for a moment, they could let go completely of all the strings and just immerse themselves in the drunken joy of being with the person they loved.

**Patience- Take That**

Chekov had been in love before. Irina had been her name- a wildcard of passion with sparkling eyes and wicked lips, and he had loved her, loved everything about her in a youthful belief that it could last forever. But that had been before, and she'd left him with angry words and a heart full of hurt. She'd broken his heart, which was why he was so frightened of falling in love again, falling for someone he loved even more, someone he could give his all and more too. If he felt the pain he'd felt at losing Irina for Sulu, he knew that it'd be a hundred times worse, a hundred times more painful, and he didn't know if he'd be able to live with that pain if something ever happened.

**I'm Like A Bird- Nelly Furtado**

He'd always travelled, Pavel Chekov, from place to place, like a kite with its strings cut twirling and buffeted by random currents, going where the wind took him. All his life he'd drifted, Moscow to America and finally to space, constantly going from place to place, looking for somewhere he could call his own. He didn't like being tied to anyone, scared of hurting them, scared of them hurting him, which was why he hated the fact he'd managed to fall in love with Hikaru Sulu. Eventually he knew he'd have to leave, to fly away to seek new adventures, to find his place, and he didn't want that, because he was scared of breaking Sulu's heart. And also breaking his own.

**Bad Day- Daniel Pouter**

Everyone had off days, where everything seemed too slow and sluggish, dragging and dangerous, sapping away at people's energy and patience. Chekov had days like those, like everyone else, and it was on these that he sought out Sulu, because he knew simply a look would tell the helmsman what was wrong and that Sulu wouldn't question when Chekov hugged him too hard and for too long. He didn't need to ask, so he left the questions unspoken and Chekov was just grateful that Sulu was just there for him, and for the knowledge that the other man would always be there to hold him through his bad days.

**Backfire at The Disco- The Wombats**

Sulu watches Chekov go on his first real date while aboard the Enterprise, visiting an alien planet, and it's an agonising experience for the both of them. For Chekov, it was more the humiliation of making an idiot of himself when he accidentally made an innocent comment about her dress that she perceived as an inappropriate move, and so responded by slapping him and walking off. For Sulu, it was having to watch Chekov going out with someone who wasn't him, and he couldn't help feeling slightly glad as he watched the haughty Orion stomp off the dance floor, leaving Chekov behind looking more then a little bit confused.

**Blue and Yellow- The Used**

They could spend a million and one days together and never notice the passing of time. Sulu never has to be anyone else with Chekov and he never expected to find love as suddenly as he did when he wasn't even looking. Every fibre of him being belonged to Chekov, everything, and he wouldn't want it anything differently. He didn't even need to say 'I love you' as he lay on his back next to Chekov as they watched the stars, the Russians hand finding his own and holding on, despite the fact he found himself saying it anyway.

**Red- Daniel Merriweather**

"Hold on, Sulu, please" Chekov begged, trying to connect with the helmsman frantically.

"No!" Sulu snarled, growling inhumanly at his partner. The disgust and anger on his face looked so real, so like Sulu that for a moment Chekov had to remind himself that that wasn't Sulu, his partner, his colleague, his friend. It was a fake joke, a sick pretence and the real Sulu, the one Chekov had fallen in love with, was trapped behind those feral possessed eyes.

"I can't do this on my own" Chekov whispers, and for a moment, he sees a flash of the old Sulu, real Sulu in the mockery's eyes, solid and complete and _there _– warm and comforting and so so scared. Before it's lost again and Chekov is left alone.

**Rain King- Counting Crows**

The Enterprise is always where Sulu has belonged. It's his home now, perhaps even more then the place he grew up, with his friends almost like family He feels like he was meant to be here, surrounded by people as close as brothers and sisters- like Uhura who calls him Ru-Ru when she's teasing, or Scotty who taught him how to whistle _Auld Lang Syne_and who introduced him to the wonders of a good scotch, and people who mean everything to him, like Pavel, his rock, solid and unmovable. If Sulu can think of any sort of Heaven, he'd probably imagine it a bit like this.


End file.
